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ATHENS, Ohio – Last season, the Ohio women's soccer team was one game away from making it back to the Mid-American Conference Championship game for the second-straight season. After a loss to Buffalo in the semifinal, Ohio will be looking to bounce back and make it to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years during the 2025 season. 
 
"I have high expectations for this team, and they have high expectations for themselves," Ohio head coach Aaron Rodgers said. "We just have to go out there and live that expectation out on a daily basis." 
 
Rodgers sees this team as one of the most experienced he's ever coached. Of the 28 players on the roster, 11 are seniors and 16 are upperclassmen. Almost every player that Ohio will start has had experience playing in Athens and playing with each other. 
 
Not only does the team have experience, Rodgers also sees this team as one of the most talented he has ever coached. With so many players that have been with Ohio for so long, Rodgers is looking for his veteran leadership to combine all the best qualities of some of Ohio's best teams in recent memory. 
 
"Our team in 2021, we were so close to winning the regular season and coming down to that very last game, and that team was talented, but I think this team is more talented," Rodgers said. "That team just really fought together. They were really close and tight-knit. The team in 23, we were just so resilient, never gave up, never got down on ourselves, and kept fighting until the end. Last year's team was very talented, but it was a tough game at the end against a very good Buffalo team in the semifinal. I think this team could put those things together and do really well."
 
Among Ohio's best returning players are four of its top five goal scorers from the 2024 season in Jaimason Brooker, Scout Murray, Rayann Pruss and Ella Deevers. The Bobcats also return senior goalkeeper Celeste Sloma and leading defenders Quinten Tostevin, Sarah Helphenstine and Norah Roush. 
 
Rodgers is excited about his incoming freshman class, but with an experienced team, there may not be a lot of available minutes for new players on the 2025 team. 
 
In the first few weeks of the season, Ohio will try and find its rhythm against a difficult non-conference schedule. In its second match of the season, Ohio will host a tough Clemson squad before going on to play more strong competition in Marshall, Pittsburgh and Indiana. 
 
The Bobcats will be looking to find their stride when they start MAC play on September 14th on the road against Central Michigan. Ohio's home conference schedule includes games against rival Miami, Akron and Bowling Green. The Bobcats will look to get revenge against the team that eliminated them last year during a home game against Buffalo on October 16th. 
 
Ohio will begin its 2025 campaign on August 14 at home against Western Kentucky. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at Chessa Field and can be seen on ESPN+. 
 
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